The Congress has decided to field former wrestler Vinesh Phogat from the Julana seat in Haryana, while appointing fellow grappler Bajrang Punia as working president of Kisan Congress.
This comes after officially joined the Congress party on Friday, following days of speculation about their potential candidacy in the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections.
The party released its first list of 31 candidates for the Haryana polls, which included Vinesh Phogat's name. AICC in-charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria, had previously suggested that Phogat would be fielded from Julana, stating, "I think it has been decided that she will contest from Julana."
Regarding the alliance talks with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Haryana polls, Babaria noted, "I got calls from them but I was not able to attend those calls because of our own meetings. I will speak to them now. Every political party expresses their opinion, tries to create pressure. I can't say anything about the alliance right now. It is still under consideration."
Punia and Phogat joined the Congress in the presence of Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, party leader Pawan Khera, Haryana Congress Chief Udai Bhan, and Babaria.
Phogat addressed the ongoing legal battle over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, stating, "The fight is continuing, it hasn't ended yet. It's in Court. We will win that fight as well... With the new platform that we are getting today, we will work for the service of the nation." She added, "When we were being dragged on the road, all parties except the BJP were with us. I feel proud that I have joined a party which stands with women and is ready to fight from 'sadak to sansad'..."
The wrestlers, who resigned from their respective positions in Northern Railways earlier in the day, joined the Congress nearly a month before the Haryana Assembly elections. Polling for the 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled for October 5, with votes to be counted on October 8.
Punia, who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and Vinesh Phogat, the first woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final, are expected to play a significant role in the party's campaign. Phogat recently announced her retirement from wrestling following her disqualification from the Paris Olympic Games due to being overweight by approximately 100 grams in her 50-kg category weigh-in prior to the gold medal match.
